Short answer: Copilot if you live in GitHub, Cursor if you live in the editor
Verified September 2, 2026. TL;DR: GitHub Copilot is an AI layer stretched across the tools you already use, starting at $10 a month. Cursor is a dedicated AI editor you switch to, starting at $20. Pick Copilot if pull requests and reviews are where your work happens. Pick Cursor if the editing loop is.
Originally published July 26, 2026.
| Cursor | GitHub Copilot | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | An AI-first code editor with Tab autocomplete and an in-editor agent | An AI layer across your IDE, GitHub.com, mobile, and the terminal |
| Entry price | Hobby free, then Pro $20/mo | Free tier, then Pro $10/mo, Pro+ $39, Max $100 |
| How usage is metered | Two included usage pools, Cursor Models and Other Models, then pay as you go at API rates | GitHub AI Credits, 1 credit = $0.01, 1,500/mo on Pro |
| Code completions | Cursor Tab, included | Unlimited on paid plans, not billed in credits |
| Models | Composer 2.5, Grok 4.6, and Grok 4.5 in-house, plus OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, SpaceXAI | OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Kimi, plus Microsoft's MAI-Code-1.1-Flash |
| PR code review | Bugbot, usage-based | Copilot code review, included in credits |
The two products have converged on capability and split on territory. Both run agents, both carry most of the frontier model catalog, both review pull requests. The question is whether you want that power concentrated in one window or spread across the places your team already works.
Both meter dollars now, at different prices
Copilot moved to usage-based billing on June 1, 2026. Every plan now carries a monthly allowance of AI Credits, worth a cent each: 1,500 on Pro, 7,000 on Pro+, 20,000 on Max. Cursor does the same thing with different words, two included usage pools on every paid tier, Cursor Models and Other Models, then continuing at API rates. Neither subscription is a flat fee anymore.
Unlimited completions is Copilot's quiet edge
On any paid Copilot plan, code completions and next edit suggestions are unlimited and cost zero credits. Only agents, chat, and reviews draw down the balance. Cursor's Pro, Pro Plus, and Ultra include unlimited tab completions too. If autocomplete is most of what you want from AI, Copilot Pro at $10 is the cheapest serious option on the market, and the $10 buys you $15 of credits on top.
Where each one lives
Copilot's reach is the pitch: supported IDEs, GitHub.com, GitHub Mobile, Windows Terminal, GitHub Desktop, a CLI, and a cloud agent that opens pull requests from an issue. Cursor's reach is deliberate: its own editor, a terminal CLI, and cloud agents. One meets your team where the code already lives, the other asks the team to move into a better room.
Both ship a reviewer, both bill for it
Cursor's Bugbot reads pull request diffs, comments on bugs and security issues, and offers a fix link back into the editor, billed as on-demand usage. Copilot's code review runs on the same repository it hosts and draws from your credit allowance. This is the closest thing to a tie in the comparison, so let the billing model and your review workflow decide rather than the feature list.
You can run both, and $10 makes that easy
The cheap play is Copilot Pro for completions and repository work, plus one agent subscription for delegated tasks. For that second seat, see my Claude Code vs Cursor comparison or the three-way Codex, Claude Code, and Copilot breakdown. If you want the editor field rather than the agent field, Antigravity vs Cursor vs Claude Code covers the free entrant. Founders still deciding whether to write the code at all should start with the vibe code or hire check.